Ret. Bat. Chief James Noah-Ft. Worth, TX

Retired Battalion Chief James Noah was the Fort Worth Fire Departmentís history book.

Mr. Noah, one of the departmentís first public information officers, died Friday September 5, 2008. He was 80.

He was a firefighter when wages were low and firefighters spent more time in the firehouse than they did at home. Mr. Noahís career spanned several decades.

During that time, Mr. Noah captured hundreds of images of Fort Worth firehouses, events and personnel.

"Not only did he keep a nice collection of photographs, he had knowledge of people who worked at the different stations that no one else knew," said Lt. Kent Worley, the current Fire Department spokesman. "Youíll have people asking for a relative who worked back in the 1960s, and he would be the only person who knew them."